One reddit user wanted to give his grandpa a gift by having an old Navy photo restored for him. He turned to the reddit community, and a bunch of people took a shot at it, with some working off the others’ work. Eventually, the community came up with a great restoration job, and the user recorded video of the moment when he explained the process and showed his grandpa the finished product.

“I didn’t realize I was so good looking…That’s fantastic!” says the grandpa before thanking the reddit community.”

After just a day, the video already has over 70,000 views.

Here’s the reddit thread for the story.

It seems to be inspiring the community. The top comment from user euphwes says, “This is actually pretty clever. My daughter is on the bottle now, I’ll arrange another ‘on the bottle’ picture to happen 20 years from now too.”

At least the plan involves letting the kid grow up first.

The app enables you to upload multiple files and share uploads through social media sites. The Android version lets you add categories as well. If you enable “GPS Tag,” you can tag your photos geographically.

Wikimedia’s Maryana Pinchuk said in a blog post, “Your contributions to Commons can help illustrate the world’s largest encyclopedia and make knowledge come to life for millions of readers around the globe.”

“In the future, we hope to add more features and make it easier to browse and discover all the great content Commons has to offer,” added Pinchuk. “We also look forward to being able to run more campaigns like Wiki Loves Monuments, encouraging expert Commons users and people new to Wikimedia projects alike to contribute to high-need content areas.”

“By uploading your photos, you can help further the goal of spreading free knowledge around the world,” the app description says. “You won’t just be sharing your images with your friends – you’ll be sharing them with Wikipedia’s billions of readers around the globe.”

The app contains no ads, and it is free to download. It’s available in Google Play and in the App Store.

Luckily there are no dead bodies or people having sex featured (though it does go through the imagery pretty fast, so we might just be overlooking them).

All imagery in the video was captured using hyperlapse.tllabs.io. Source code for this can be found here.

[via PictureCorrect]

Reddit user RMartinChi pointed out this abandoned shark museum in Japan that Google lets you virtually walk through. Here are a few shots from within:

Also spotted on reddit: Google Maps Street View Captures Couple Having Sex On The Side Of The Road.

Sometimes, you’ll just find some weird stuff. Check out this creepy, abandoned shark museum on Street View. Apparently you can even find people having sex.

A redditor pointed this out in the ever-popular WTF subreddit. My first instinct was to assume that this was a fake. Google wouldn’t really take a picture of this and leave it available on Street View would it?

Luckily, right there at the top of the comments was a link. Yep, it’s really there.

It’s entirely possible that this couple isn’t actually having sex, and is rather just having some fun at Google’s expense. On the other hand, it’s also possible that they’re doing both.

Interestingly enough, Google blurred out the license plate on its own:

You can click through if you want to see it and mess with Google’s controls. If you want to, however, you should probably do it now, because I doubt this will be sticking around for long.

This isn’t the first time Google has caught some questionable imagery in Street View. In fact, it may be more common than we realize.

Google’s Jon Emerson discusses the update in a Google+ post:

Jon Emerson19 hours ago

Upload and share full-size photos from your desktop

Back in December we launched full-size backups of your Android photos (http://goo.gl/coFZ7). Today we're making it possible upload full-size photos from your desktop — whether you're updating your profile photo, creating a new album to share, or backing up pictures from a recent vacation.

To enable full-size desktop uploads, just visit your settings at www.google.com/settings/plus, and check "Upload my photos at full size." Afterwards, any files larger than 2048px will count towards your Google storage (up to 5GB free). Photo storage at 2048px or smaller remains free and unlimited.

p.s. With lots more full-size photos on Google+, pan and zoom is going to get a lot more fun. Check out +Dave Cohen's recent announcement for more details: http://goo.gl/cmJ7i.

#googleplusupdate#googleplusphotos73    37 Powered by socialditto

Given Google+’s standing appeal among many photographers (and wannabe photographers), the feature is surely a welcome one.

[via CNET]

Earlier this year, Google launched the first Trekker-based imagery for the Grand Canyon. Trekker is a backpack-based camera device, which takes panoramic imagery for Street View. You can see it in the photos below.

“Two Trekkers will be worn by local mapping experts from Nunavut and members of the Google Maps team, and they’ll be used to collect panoramic Street View imagery of Canada’s most northern capital,” a Google spokesperson tells WebProNews. “This is Google’s first visit to an arctic climate in the winter… so don’t be surprised when the Street View team takes a detour to a nearby igloo!”

“As usual, the imagery will take some time to prepare for publication on Google Maps,” she notes.

Chris Kalluk, one of those local mapping experts, wrote about the experience in a post on the Google Maps blog. “I’m wearing the backpack to collect Street View imagery as I walk to the shore of Frobisher Bay, where the wind is the strongest and you can see the tide piling up mountains of sea ice,” he writes. “On the way I’ll pass sled dogs tied up outside houses, yapping in anticipation of their next trip. And I may stop to check out an igloo, built by Inuit craftsmen using methods passed down over a millennia.”

“As part of its commitment to build a comprehensive and accurate map of Canada’s north, Google visited my home, Cambridge Bay, last August and published imagery of the trip that fall,” he adds. “But this visit to Iqaluit marks the first time the Google Maps team has ventured into an Arctic climate during the winter months, where average temperatures can dip below -30°C [-25°F].”

Here are pictures of Kalluk (top) and Google Maps product lead Raleigh Seamster (bottom) in the streets of Iqalit with Trekker:

“At the end of the day, when it’s time to warm up, our community will gather around two dozen computers at the local library to conduct a MapUp workshop,” says Kalluk. “I’ll work with Iqaluit’s elders, local business owners, political leaders and high school students to show them how we can use Google Map Maker to add the streets, shops and points of interest – those places that make Iqaluit home – to Google Maps.”

The Street View imagery from this endeavor will become available on Google Maps in a few months.

Earlier this week, Google launched some new mountain top Street View imagery.

“With this new interactive, 360 degree imagery, you can march out of the tunnel and down the field towards the end zone, just like Andrew Luck did all season,” says Google Maps product manager Evan Rapoport. “Or check out the Colts’ locker room where Head Coach Chuck Pagano gave his memorable post-game locker room speech on November 4, after an inspirational win against the Miami Dolphins. You can also explore the stadium’s three concourses and suites, including the Quarterback Suite, a Field Level Suite and Loge-Level Suite.”

“Together with the Colts and Lucas Oil Stadium, we’re thrilled to give you, the fans, a behind-the-scenes look at the home of the Colts, and enable anyone to ‘visit’ the stadium from wherever they may be,” Rapoport adds.

The Field

The Tunnel

The Locker Room

The Quarterback Suite

The Main Concourse

The Loge-Level Suite

The imagery is accessible by searching “Lucas Oil Stadium” or “Colts Stadium” from a desktop browser or from the Android and iPhone apps.

In June, Google unveiled Trekker, a tool designed to capture imagery for Street View for places that vehicles and even the Street View Trike can’t go. A few months later, Google announced its plans to utilize Trekker in the Grand Canyon, and now we’re seeing the fruits of Google’s labor.

Google has just released panoramic imagery of the Grand Canyon with interactive images covering over 75 miles of trails and surrounding roads.

“Take a walk down the narrow trails and exposed paths of the Grand Canyon: hike down the famous Bright Angel Trail, gaze out at the mighty Colorado River, and explore scenic overlooks in full 360-degrees,” says Google Maps product manager Ryan Falor. “You’ll be happy you’re virtually hiking once you get to the steep inclines of the South Kaibab Trail. And rather than drive a couple hours to see the nearby Meteor Crater, a click of your mouse or tap of your finger will transport you to the rim of this otherworldly site.”

Let’s take a look at these locations:

Bright Angel Trail

Colorado River

South Kaibab Trail

Meteor Crater

“Our team strapped on the Android-operated 40-pound backpacks carrying the 15-lens camera system and wound along the rocky terrain on foot, enduring temperature swings and a few muscle cramps along the way,” says Falor, reffering to Trekker. “Together, more than 9,500 panoramas of this masterpiece of nature are now available on Google Maps.”

Here’s a look at Trekker itself: